Edmonton Oilers Defense Needs To Step Up In Game 4 To Secure Victory

If you look back at the previous games in this series you will find that in the Oilers' two wins, the Los Angeles Kings struggled to score and in the one loss the Oilers let the Kings score in a much easier. As obvious as it is that letting in fewer goals means the team wins the game, it is more than just the scoreboard that is affected by letting the Kings get ahead.

When the Kings are able to get the lead they can play the game that they are much better suited at, defence first. For the Oilers they can play both with the lead and trying to come from behind, the Kings aren't built that way. They do not have any game-breaking forwards like the Oilers do, in McDavid and Draisaitl.

Oilers Dmen Need To Be Mistake Free

When it comes to the Oilers' defence while sometimes they are beaten by the opposing teams' skill, most of the goals against them are their own doing. Whether that be a giveaway or a bad read, the Oilers' defence tends to beat themselves instead.

For the whole team to have success for the Oilers they need to work together and shut down the LA Kings forwards. The first step in shutting them down is making sure that the team communicates and there are no players left wide open for a high-quality chance.

One more area that there could be a slight improvement on is between the pipes. Although I wouldn't say Skinner cost them the game they lost, he definitely did not move the needle in order for them to win. While on the other side, Talbot made one massive save against Draisaitl. If Talbot doesn't make that save the Oilers win. Tonight hopefully the OIlers come with a complete game and have a chance to win the series at home.